Michael Gough and Martin Love steered Durham to 211-4 in reply to Gloucestershire's 417 in the CricInfo County Championship Division Two match at the King's School ground in Gloucester.

But rain prevented any play from 3.50pm onwards and with the forecast for the remaining two days far from promising, the odds are already favouring a draw.

Durham's initial target when they do resume their innings will be to reach 269 and avoid the follow-on.

That should be within range on a fast-scoring ground where anything pushed past the in-field tends to race away for a boundary.

Gough and Love shared a second-wicket stand of 124 after Durham captain Jon Lewis had been caught behind by Jack Russell off James Averis for 11.

Love had ten fours in his 66-ball fifty and had progressed to 70 when he was caught by Rusell off a defensive edge from Mark Alleyne's bowling.

Gough, however, remained to the premature close and his unbeaten 73 represents his first half-century of the Championship campaign.

Michael Speight fell for just one when off-spinner Martyn Ball had him taken at short leg, while Nicky Peng was unluckily run out for 21 when Mark Hardinges tipped a drive from Gough on to the stumps at the non-striker's end.

In the opening hour, Gloucestershire's last three wickets had added a further 58 runs to the total. Most of them came from Ball, who was 60 not out at the end, just 11 short of a career-best.

He struck 22 from one Steve Harmison over, with two sixes hooked over long leg and two fours cut square of the wicket.

Simon Brown claimed the three Gloucestershire wickets to fall - those of Russell, Michael Cawdron and Averis - to finish with 6-70 in only his second game after a side strain.

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